


Sleeping With A Friend

by modxminty



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Anxiety, Gay, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, PINING KEITH, Weddings, anxious keith, big families, broganes, fake relationships, ill tag as i go along, like really gay, pretending to date, probably gonna end sad, shallura - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-22
Updated: 2017-05-18
Packaged: 2018-10-22 11:10:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10695798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/modxminty/pseuds/modxminty
Summary: Lance McClain had made a mistake. That wasn't anything new or interesting, he made a large amount of mistakes. But this mistake was bigger than most. Lance had lied to his mom and told her he was in a relationship. To make matters worse he had told her he was bringing this mysterious person home with him over summer break. When all of his options fail and the summer holiday is fast approaching Lance is forced to turn to Keith, a pretty boy from his art class, to be his date. Keith agrees on the condition that Lance attend his brothers wedding with him. Neither boy knew what they were signing up for, and with a summer of faked romance they might start to develop feelings. But how well can this really end?





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> In which Lance fucks up, Keith is there to help, and Shiro is getting married.

Lance McClain had made a mistake. That wasn't anything new or interesting, he made a large amount of mistakes. Most of those mistakes sucked and he always ended up getting fucked over in the end, but they never had very large consequences. But this mistake was bigger than most. This mistake would leave him more fucked over than he'd ever been. Sure, that was an exaggerated example of what was going to happen. But he didn't want the consequences of this mistake. He wanted anything but. Except this time, he had no way of getting out of it. Any other time he could find a way to avoid it, to leave the situation. But this time, well, he didn't think it was possible.

The mistake he made this time was none other than him bragging to his family and friends about how he was officially in a relationship. This wasn't his own decision though, it was brought on by his mother. He'd been on skype with her and a couple of his siblings talking about how he was going home over the summer to visit. He'd be there for two months and head back a week before his classes started again. He was excited. And then his mother mentioned something that threw him off of the plans. She mentioned that she had met a nice girl at work and that she planned in setting her up with Lance during his trip. And, well, Lance didn't want that. So he panicked.

He made a claim that would have consequences. He claimed that that wouldn't be necessary, that he had met someone in class and was now happily in a relationship with them. His mother was amazed and wanted to know everything about them, but lance didn't budge. Instead he said that she'd have to wait until the summer and that he'd bring them down with him to meet her. She was over the moon with excitement and agreed to wait, going on and on about how excited she was that her boy was finally settling down and how proud he was and how excited she was to see him and meet this new person. Lance didn't have the heart to ever tell her that it was an honest mistake.

For the next two months Lance kept insisting that yes, they were still dating and yes, they were still coming. He couldn't bring himself to tell his mother about the mistake. Especially considering she'd gone and told the rest of his family. And his friends. And now he was receiving texts from Hunk asking who this person was and why he hadn't met them. Lance didn't say anything besides what he'd said to his mother. He'd meet them over the summer. And now he had four days until he was flying out of the city and it was starting to dawn on him that he didn't have anybody to pass off as someone he was in a relationship with. He'd run out of options. He tried asking a couple of friends but they all had plans for the summer or were going to visit their own families. He was out of options. Or, he thought he was.

He was scrolling through his contacts list, trying to find anyone who would help him. He had nobody left to ask. Until he came across one contact in his phone. It was a contact he called and texted often and he mentally slapped himself for being so stupid. He checked the time to see how early it was before clicking on the contact, shooting a series of texts to his old pal Keith from art class.

 **Lance** : hey buddy

 **Lance** : pal

 **Lance** : my old friend from art class

 **Keith** : the fuck do you want lance

 **Lance** : I need a favour

 **Lance** : when's your last class today?

 **Lance** : we need to talk

 **Keith** : my last class is at three

 **Lance** : meet me in the library at four?

 **Keith** : fine

 **Lance** : bless your sweet soul Keith Kogane

 **Keith** : this better be important McClain

 **Keith** : like matter of life or death important

 **Lance** : it is I promise

 **Lance** : thank you Keith

 **Keith** : I'll see you then

 **Keith** : now shut it i'm in class

  
Lance smiled to himself, slipping his phone into his pocket. He had a shot. Keith could be his shot. He couldn't lie, the thought of having Keith as his fake boyfriend for two months made his stomach turn. Sure, they were close friends, but this wasn't what he was expecting. He wasn't expecting that this could happen. That he'd ever need to ask Keith this question. But he was desperate and Keith was quite literally his only hope. So, Lance waited patiently as the day rolled along.

  
Lance practically bolted out of his last class at four, making it to the library across the school in five minutes. He walked through the front doors, immediately heading to the back corner. People hardly ever went to the back rows of shelves as they held all the outdated books. Because of that very fact it had become the place Lance and Keith met up when they needed to talk to each other or to do simple things like homework. They worked on art projects a lot, although Lance mostly watched as Keith drew things. He often became the model for the older boys drawings. The fact made him smile.

He reached the back corner by four fifteen, immediately spotting Keith sitting on the windowsill reading. He had his hair pulled back and was wearing his glasses, a combination that didn't usually see the light of day. He must have been tired. Lance noticed the Starbucks cup Keith was holding and his eyes rested on the other cup sitting next to his leg on the windowsill. Lance smiled. He got him a drink.

Keith looked up as he heard Lance approach, smiling ever so slightly and closing his book. He slipped off his glasses and watched Lance as he sat down on the other side of the window, eyes lingering on the Starbucks cup next to his leg.

“I got your regular, don't worry. I'm not trying to poison you,” Keith smirked as Lance flushed and picked up the drink, instantly burning his tongue with the first sip.

“So, what'd you need from me?”

“Getting right to it, are we? No hello, no small talk?” Lance questioned, his mouth curling into a smile.

“Look, Lance, I'm really tired so can we just get to it so I can sleep please?” Keith sighed, leaning his head against the wall and looking at Lance with half closed eyes.

Lance swallowed the lump in his throat and sighed, setting down his cup. “Okay, I'll just say it flat out. I need you to be my boyfriend.”

“That's a pretty odd way to ask someone out, Lance,” Keith raised an eyebrow at him and took another sip of his drink, looking at lance over the rim of the cup. “What, may I ask, brought on these sudden affections?”

“No, no that's not it. It's not like that,” Lance assured, frantically moving his hands and he spoke. “It's something else.”

Keith took another sip of his drink, swallowing with a slight sigh before he spoke. “Enlighten me.”

“Look, I screwed up. My mom was trying to set me up with someone, and as you can probably assume, I didn't want it.”

“Naturally.”

“Anyway, so I told my mom I was in a relationship and that I'd be bringing them home with me over summer,” Keith cut him off.

“And let me guess, everyone else was busy and now I'm your last resort?”

“Keith please,” Lance begged.

“What does being your fake boyfriend entail?” Keith asked, surprisingly calm after the question he was just asked.

“You'd have to come spend the summer with me and my family,” Lance began.

“Doable. I don't have any plans.”

“You'd have to spend a lot of time with me.”

Keith laughed lightly. “I do that anyway.”

“You'd have to meet my family,” Lance seemed pretty unsure about Keith meeting his family.

Keith shrugged. “They seem nice enough. Plus you've got a lot of siblings, it's not like the focus will be on us all the time.”

Lance breathed a sigh of relief. “That's pretty much all you'd have to do. Maybe put up with prolonged physical contact, hold my hand, put up with constant pet names. Just normal couple stuff.”

Keith nodded and took another sip of his drink. “Where are we gonna be spending the summer?”

Lance smiled. “California.”

Keith raised an eyebrow. “I thought your family lived in Cuba?”

“We're spending the summer with my aunt and uncle, they've got a house in California.”

Keith made a sound of understanding and took another sip of his drink. “That seems doable, although I should warn you that I hate planes.”

Lance smiled at him. “It's okay, so do I.”

“Alright Lance, I'll be your fake boyfriend,” Keith concluded, taking a sip of his drink. “On one condition though.”

“Anything, name it and I'll do it,” Lance seemed afraid of his own words and Keith laughed lightly.

“It's nothing bad, don't worry. I was just gonna say that we'll have to leave for a little bit in august. My brother is getting married.”

“We?” Lance questioned. “Why don't you just go on your own?”

“Lance, as your fake boyfriend it seems only appropriate that you should accompany me to my brothers wedding, does it not? Or do you not want to fully sell this relationship to your mom?” Keith teased, taking another sip of his drink when he finished.

Lance sighed, running his hand over his face. “It makes sense, yeah. Could you at least tell me your brothers name? Or the name of whoever he's getting married to?”

“Shiro,” Keith answered. “His fiancé’s name is Allura.”

“Thank you for that valuable information. Where's the wedding?”

“New York city.”

Lance nearly choked on his drink. “Wait, actually? New York?”

Keith raised an eyebrow. “Is that going to be a problem?”

“No, no, it's just, I've never been to New York.”

“Oh, Lance my man, you're in for a treat,” Keith grinned, tapping on his cup.

Lance smirked. “Am I now?”

Keith finished off his drink and threw the cup towards a garbage can across the room. It made it in without fail. Lance whistled and clapped while Keith bowed slightly. “Now, back to our fake relationship.”

“What else do you need to know?” Lance asked, finally returning to his own drink.

“When do we leave, what do I need to pack, stuff like that,” Keith shrugged, leaning back on the wall.

“Just pack what you'd take on vacation. Bring like, shorts and shirts as it's probably gonna be hot out, some jeans and a couple sweaters would also be a good idea, also some nice clothes as my family will probably wanna take you out for dinner on many occasions. Bring your phone and your wallet as well as your sketchbook and other art stuff. Headphones, books, all that jazz,” Lance was rambling and he knew it but he couldn't bring himself to stop.

“That's quite a detailed list. But you didn't tell me when we're leaving,” Keith pointed out.

“Three days,” Lance blushed slightly, ducking his head and playing with the lid of his cup.

“Okay.”

Lance looked up with wide eyes. He expected Keith to be annoyed, to snap at him for the short notice. But he wasn't, he didn't. He was surprisingly calm about the whole situation actually. It was out of character for him, he wasn't usually one for calm thinking. He was known for his rash decisions and poor impulse control, not the ability to ask questions and think about things calmly. He must have been really tired.

“Thank you, Keith, it really means alot to me.”

Keith smiled. “It's no big deal Lance, I'm happy to help you out.”

Lance leaned forward and pulled Keith into a hug. It was uncomfortable and awkward but Keith hugged back none the less, resting his head against Lance’s shoulder. Lance sighed into his neck causing Keith to shiver. Both laughed a little bit and then pulled back, smiling at each other.

“Well I'm absolutely exhausted so I think I'm gonna head back to my room. I'll text you tomorrow,” Keith sighed, slipping his book and glasses into his bag as he spoke and pulled on his jacket. “Night babe,” he winked and walked around the shelves and away from the blushing mess that was Lance.

He heard him walk to the front of the library and wish the librarian a good night, he heard the door open and watched the top of it as it closed. He sat there leaning against the wall, a half empty Starbucks cup in his hand and a stupid tired smile on his face. Lance was already so far gone that he couldn't find himself. 


	2. Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Keith hates planes, Lance is a great fake boyfriend, and Lance's sister is slightly crazy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Im honestly really bad at catching my own spelling mistakes and grammar mistakes so if you notice anything that's spelt wrong or doesn't make sense please comment and tell me so I can fix it

Keith hated airports. They were crowded and cramped and far too cold. The more time he had to spend in the building the grumpier he became, much to the distaste of Lance. He felt guilty. He wanted Keith to enjoy himself but it didn't seem to be working. It was four in the morning. Far too early for any person to be awake, much less preparing to leave for a five hour flight. Lance’s mom had wanted them there early so Keith could be introduced to the rest of the family. Eventually they boarded the flight and Keith settled down a bit, falling asleep on Lance’s shoulder half an hour into the flight. That left Lance to his own thoughts and of course m what else could he think of besides his family?

They still had no idea that it was Keith that was coming. He had no idea how they'd react when he showed up with a boy. Sure, he knew his mom would be accepting and he knew most of his siblings wouldn't care, but what about his aunt and uncle? Or his cousins? How would any of them react? Would they hate him? Would they accept him? He assumed it would be the former and his mind instantly started filling with worries about different ways he could be disowned, different ways his family could reject him.

And then Keith woke up. He'd been asleep for about an hour before some turbulence woke him. He sat up and yawned, rubbing his eyes and stretching. “Oh, did I fall asleep on you? I'm sorry.”

Lance shook his head. “It's no big deal, honestly.”

“So, what'd I miss?” Keith asked, stifling a yawn with the back of his hand. Lance had to resist the urge to start singing Hamilton.

“An entire centuries worth of war,” Lance replied casually, stretching out the arm Keith had been sleeping on.

“Oh shit. Trump still president?” Keith asked.

Lance nodded. “Yup.”

Keith sighed, leaning back in his seat. “Shame. I thought America was done with the angry tangerine.”

Lance snorted, converting his mouth with his hands as he laughed. “Angry tangerine?”

Keith only shrugged in response. “It fits.”

Keith wondered how people, including himself, managed to fall asleep on planes. The atmosphere just wasn't right for sleeping, there was always too much going on. There was a baby crying at the back of the plane and some kids screaming closer to the front, younger kids kicking seats and climbing all over the plane. There were at least fifteen business people all on their phones and typing away on their computers, working like their lives depended on it. Except Keith didn't know them well enough to know that that wasn't the case, their jobs could be a matter of life or death. Flight attendants walked the rows, giving out free bags of peanuts and chatting with people. It was too busy for Keith, he didn't like it. The seats were all too close together and the plane was too cold. It wasn't comfortable.

Eventually Lance fell asleep and Keith moved to sketching to pass his time. He sketched Lance’s sleeping face, making sure to include the drool on the corner of his mouth. He doodled small stars and planes around it, adding in some clouds and tiny planets and moons. He added a little note at the top and signed the bottom corner, pulling it out of the book and slipping it into Lance’s bag. Keith also moved to taking photos. He snapped a Polaroid out the window of the plane and one of sleeping Lance, writing sleeping beauty on the bottom with a small star next to it. He smiled and slipped it into his pocket. He zoomed in on Lance’s face on snapchat and took some photos out the window of the plane, making sure to film small bits for a vlog he would attempt to edit later.

There was nothing he could find to keep him occupied for more than half an hour. He tried almost everything but the noise was getting to him and he was starting to get incredibly anxious. He contemplated waking Lance and asking him to move so he could pace but he deemed it wasn't worth it when he saw how peaceful Lance looked. So, he resorted to something he honestly should have done earlier. He took a nap.

Lance woke up with an hour left of the flight with a sore neck and the inability to move his arm. He looked over and noticed that Keith had fallen asleep on him yet again. This time, however Keith looked stressed. He didn't look peaceful and tired like he did before. This time he looked bothered, anxious even. It bothered Lance. He didn't know why, he was probably overthinking it, but he couldn't help himself. He cared about Keith. A lot, to be honest. He cared about him more than a lot of people.

Lance absentmindedly reached over and brushed some of Keith's hair from his face, smiling as Keith snuggled closer to him in his seat. He leaned his head against Keith’s and took out his phone, snapping some quick photos for the sake of social media. He closed his eyes and moved around a bit so he was in a more comfortable positions, letting more of Keith's head rest in his body. He felt himself drift off to sleep like many of the other passengers. He was content. For the first time since they left the airport he wasn't thinking about what could happen when they landed. He was only thinking about the sleeping boy lying on his shoulder and how much he couldn't wait to spend the summer with him.

They both woke up again about twenty minutes before the plane landed, stretching and talking as they landed and got off the plane. Lance was giving Keith a basic list of people in his family that he’d be meeting and would have to interact with.

“There's my mom, you'll know it's her when you first see her, she looks just like me. Then there's all of my siblings, there's a lot of them so I'll spare you from having to hear all their names. Most of the older ones will have their husbands and wives and boyfriends and girlfriends with them, so it's not really out of character for me to bring you. My aunt and uncle are the ones you'll have to watch out for. They might not like me bringing a boy very much, I don't know where they stand on that front,” he was rambling again.

“Lance,” Keith stopped him, placing his hand on his arm. “It'll be okay. If they don't like it then fuck them, it doesn't matter to me.”

Lance took a deep breath, nodding his head multiple times. “Okay, yeah, yeah okay. It'll all be fine.”

Keith smiled and they continued walking along, making small talk as they found where they were supposed to meet Lance’s family. Lance walked through the airport with his bag dragging behind him, looking around trying to spot whoever his mom had sent to pick them up. Keith followed closely, not wanting to get lost somewhere he didn't know.

“Lance!” The loud voice caught their attention and Lance looked up to see a girl about his age with a smile plastered on her face.

“Lisa!” He responded, dropping his bag and rushing over to engulf the girl in a hug. She was quite a bit shorter than Lance but the resemblance was uncanny. She had to have been one of Lance’s siblings, or at least have some relation.

Keith walked up to them awkwardly, picking up Lance’s bag along the way. He cleared his throat and Lance pulled away, a large grin plastered across his face.

“Keith, sorry, this is Lisa,” Lance gestured to the girl who extended a hand for him to shake, smiling at him.

“You must be the boy I've heard so much about. It's good to meet you Keith, I'm Lance’s sister.”

Keith smiled and shook her hand. “Salut, je m'appelle Keith.”

Lisa just blinked at him, not understanding what he said but not saying anything about it. “Nice to meet you Keith. How are you?”

“Tres bein, et vous?” Keith responded, smiling politely. Lance gave him a what the fuck look before Lisa responded again.

“I'm sorry, what are you saying? Is that French?” The poor girl was incredibly confused.

“Oui.”

Lisa leaned over to Lance. “Does he speak English?”

Keith couldn't hold back his laughter anymore and cracked, dissolving into a fit of laughter much to the confusion of the two standing in front of him. He couldn't get words out he was laughing so hard, although it wasn't even that funny.

“What?” Lisa was beyond confused at this point as Lance too started laughing.

“I'm just fucking with you, I speak English. Perfectly, actually,” Keith laughed.

Lisa turned to Lance, looking him directly in the eye before saying “Lance I don't like him he confuses me get rid of him.”

Keith laughed again and Lance walked over to Keith, putting his arm around his waist. “Nah sis, he's staying.”

Lisa sighed. “Damnit, I thought I would win.”

“You tried.”

Keith held out Lance’s bag for him and he smiled as he took it. “We should probably go grab our suitcases, no?”

“Yeah, that seems like a good idea,” Keith nodded, ducking his head a bit to avoid Lance’s gaze. Lance laughed and ruffled Keith’s hair, earning him a small pout.

“You two are gross, mom's gonna love you,” Lisa commented, walking past them. “Now didn't you say we were grabbing you bags?”

Lance chuckled and jogged to catch up to her. Keith held back a little bit, trailing behind so that he wouldn't interrupt their conversation. It had clearly been a while since the time the two siblings had seen each other as they couldn't stop talking. Keith didn't want to be a burden on them so he stayed behind, although not so far as to get lost. They found their bags easy enough and headed for the doors. They were almost outside when Keith got stopped by a young girl.

“You're Keith Kogane!” She said, clearly awestruck by seeing him. She couldn't have been older than fourteen.

“Yeah, hey, what's your name?” He smiled down at her and the girl looked as if she might explode.

“Sarah!” She beamed, tucking a strand of pink hair behind her ear.

Keith smiled again. “It's great to meet you Sarah, I love your hair.”

“Thank you so much!” She got a little quieter and looked down at the ground, tracing circles with her toe. “Could I, um, maybe get a picture, if that's not too much trouble?”

Keith laughed and shook his head. “It's not problem at all. Here, Lance, be a doll and take a photo, yeah?”

Lance seemed taken aback but smiled politely anyway. “Yeah, sure, I can do that.”

The girl unlocked her phone and quickly handed it to Lance before standing next to Keith who wrapped an arm around her. They smiled and Lance took about six pictures before handing the phone back, scared to mess it up.

“Thank you so much!” The girl beamed, standing on her toes and giving Keith a huge hug. He returned it with just as much enthusiasm and the girl ran off, leaving a grinning Keith and confused Lisa and Lance behind.

“Who was that?” Lance asked, still confused about the entire encounter.

“Wow Lance, I know you're deaf but come on, she said her name was Sarah,” Keith teased. Lisa snorted and tried, horribly might I add, to stifle it with a cough.

“Truth be told I've never seen or heard of that girl before. She's a fan. Quite a big one I might add,” Keith explained.

Lance’s face showed realization and he nodded. “I forgot about your internet thing.”

“I hate to interrupt boys but there's three small children and a very annoyed older brother waiting in a car outside so if you don't mind we should probably hurry up,” Lisa suggested, pushing them to move.

The drive to the hotel was silent for Keith. He didn't say anything almost the entire drive and instead moved to sifting through the hundreds of notifications he had gotten on the plane. Most were just from social media, people liking his tweets or commenting on YouTube videos. Some were emails he'd never answer or even open. There were quite a few though that were texts. Those made him smile.

**Three new messages from Pidgey**

**Pidgey:** Tell me when you land

 **Pidgey** : Be safe

 **Pidgey** : Try not to cry on the plane this time nerd

**One new message from Doormat**

**Doormat** : Have a nice flight you meme loving Texan

**Five new messages from Princess**

**Princess** : Have a safe trip, I'll see you in a few weeks!

 **Princess** : Try not to scare the poor boy away

 **Princess** : you have a history of doing that

 **Princess** : Make sure you text Shiro when you land, he forgot his phone so he won't be able to say anything until he gets home

 **Princess** : Love you!

**One new message from Gorgeous Man**

**Gorgeous Man** : Have a safe trip my boy I shall see you in a few short weeks

Keith smiled as he read through the texts, immediately going to his contact list after replying to them all to text Shiro. All he was scrolling through the list his silence was suddenly interrupted when Lance decided he needed to voice an opinion.

“Hey, why don't I have an interesting name in your phone?” He pointed to his contact which just said plain Lance with no contact photo. “And why don't I have a contact photo?”

Keith shrugged. “I guess I forgot to change it. I probably don't see the contact enough to want to change it.”

“You text me every day!” Lance shouted in mock offence. Lisa snorted from the driver's seat. “Who could you possibly text more than me?”

Keith looked down at his phone, going into his most frequent contacts and reading out the list. “Shiro, Allura, Katie, Matt, and Coran.”

“Do they have interesting names?” Lance asked, pretending to be hurt.

Keith nodded. “Yeah, they do.”

“And what are they?”

Keith read them out again with a sigh and a yawn. “Shiro is Space Dad, Allura is Princess, Katie is Pidgey, Coran is Gorgeous Man, and Matt is Doormat.”

“Well, can I have an interesting name?” Lance asked, hopeful.

“Sure,” Keith replied, holding out his phone for Lance to take. “Have at it.”

When Keith got his phone back Lance’s contact name had been changed to Sharpshooter and he had a contact photo. It was safe to say that the photo was the most adorable picture of Lance Keith had ever had the pleasure of viewing. He yawned, leaning his head on Lance’s as they continued to drive. He had been told it was a long drive to the hotel but it was still early. The change in time zone had fucked Keith over and he could feel himself falling asleep despite the fact that it was supposed to be eleven in the morning. He felt Lance place a quick kiss to his forehead while he thought he was sleeping, followed by the awes of one of Lance’s younger sisters and Lisa quietly going “The true otp.” He didn't remember falling asleep but he could feel himself being carried into a building and did nothing to protest because whoever was carrying him was warm and he was too tired to move.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drop me a comment and tell me you opinion of the chapter. Also give me names for Lance's family I'm lost and only have four.


	3. Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Keith is cuddly, Coran is a concerned mother, and Pidge is a living meme.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ya boi is back with another really fast update. Again, if you catch something that's spelt wrong or doesn't make sense please point it out so I can change it!

A shrill screeching woke Keith up and he groaned, burrowing his head into whatever he was curled up against. He tried to process the sound and slowly realized that Lance had set an alarm.

“What the fuck Lance?” Keith groaned, curling closer to the source of warmth next to him.

Lance laughed and ran his fingers through Keith's hair, making Keith suddenly aware that he was the source of warmth he'd been clinging to all night. He went to move but Lance held him down, continuing to stroke his hair.

“Your hair is really soft,” He mumbled against Keith's head, eliciting a blush from the older boy. “I don't wanna get up.”

“Then why did you set an alarm?” Keith asked, face still pressed to Lance’s shoulder.

“I was gonna get up before I discovered you were so cuddly,” Lance hummed, playing with hair at the back of Keith’s neck causing the smaller boy to shiver. “Although we do have stuff to do today.”

Keith groaned and buried his face further into Lance’s neck. “I don't want to,” He was contradicted though when his phone went off and he immediately sat up to answer the call.

“Hello?”

Lance whined and listened as Keith spoke, only hearing his side and some muffled yelling from the other side of the line.

“Hey Coran. Tired as shit, you? Better. Lance?”

Lance piped up at hearing his name in the conversation, straining to hear what was being said. “So you've discussed me?” Lance whispered, smirk present on his face and Keith shushed him.

“No. If it gets worse I'll tell him. I promise. Coran I can guarantee you I'm not gonna fuck him. Alright Coran. Listen, I've gotta go but I'll call you later, okay? Bye Coran,” Keith hung up the call, sighing and rubbing his temples.

“What was that about?” Lance asked, sitting up and swinging his legs off the bed.   
  
Keith shrugged. “Hell if I know. Coran's on too many drugs to be good for him, guys batshit crazy.”

Keith was lying. Coran wasn't crazy, he was one of the smartest men Keith had ever met and he knew for a fact he'd never take a drug in his life. At least, that's what he liked to insist. Keith was lying to Lance but he couldn't tell him the truth. Not yet and probably not ever. Lance just shrugged, standing up and getting ready to leave. Keith followed close behind.

“We're here!” Lance shouted into the large house after throwing open the door. Keith slowly walked in behind him, scared to death. He had never been in such a huge house and it could only lead him to wonder what type of people his aunt and uncle would be.

“Finally!” Lisa shouted back. “Hurry up, mom has someone for you to meet!”

Lance sighed and walked around the house, stopping in the living room and greeted by the sight of a girl he'd never seen before sitting on the couch.

“Lance! Good you're finally here. Oh and you too Keith. This is,”

Keith cut her off. “Katie Holt.”

“Morning Texas,” Katie smiled, standing up and walking towards Keith. She stopped and looked at him with their arms crossed.

Keith returned the position, crossing his arms as he looked her in the eye. “Morning gremlin. You've gotten taller.”

“You haven't,” Keith wouldn't dare admit it but this girl that had been a foot shorter than him two years ago was now nearly as tall as him. She'd grown, in more ways than one.

Her flat expression slowly switched to a grin and she laughed, throwing her arms around him. Keith laughed too, wrapping his arms around her and hugging her with all his power. “It's been too long mullet.”

“I agree. It had been too long, Pidgey.”

Lance cleared his throat and both turned to look at him. “Care to introduce me?”

Keith blushed a little and Katie laughed, poking his cheek to point it out. He brushed her hand away before answering Lance. “Lance, this is Katie. Katie, Lance.”

Katie smiled, holding out her hand for Lance to shake. He accepted and smiled politely. “Good to meet you.”

“This was the girl mom was gonna set you up with before Keith,” Lisa explained and the two friends were howling with laughter. Lance looked at them in confusion as they tried to communicate while being unable to form proper sentences.

“You? Seriously?” Keith managed to get out through his laughter before falling back into it again.

Katie gripped onto Keith's arm for supports as she laughed, although it wasn't much help as he was also folding over.

“Dude, what's so funny?” Lance asked, confusion written all over his face.

“I'm like, really gay,” Katie laughed more and lance laughed a little too, finally getting it.

The two managed to calm down a little bit and Keith smiled at the girl. Lance felt his heart bang with a little bit of guilt although he tried to brush it away. They were just friends, Katie was gay. Keith was pretty sure too, although he might be bisexual or pansexual, he didn't know. Lance didn't want to ask, he felt it was an intrusion on his personal life that he didn't need to make. It was good enough. He was good enough.

“Lance!” A loud voice sounded through the house and a grin found its way to Lance’s face.

“Hunk!” Keith watched as a man came in, practically picking Lance up as he gave him a hug. It was sweet, he hadn't seen Lance smile like that in a while. It made him smile and Katie wiggled her eyebrows, causing Keith to slap her arm.

“So, Pidge my love, did Matt come with you?” Keith asked, leaning against the wall.

Katie nodded. “Yup, he did. He's downstairs chatting with some of Lance’s siblings if you wanna go see him.”

“I'm gonna fucking fight him,” that sentence caught Lance’s attention and he looked back at Keith.

“Babe, who are you fighting?” He asked, walking back over to the two, followed closely by Hunk.

“Pidge’s brother,” Keith said simply.

Lance looked incredibly confused. “What the hell is a Pidge?”

“Hi,” Katie said, awkwardly raising her hand. “I'm a Pidge, good to meet you.”

Lance looked between Keith and Pidge, confusion coating his face yet again. “What? But I thought your name was Katie?”

“I go by Pidge most of the time, although you can still call me Katie if you want,” She explained, smiling at him and pushing up her glasses.

“Well, if you don't mind me, I'm gonna go find Matt,” Keith stated, starting to back up towards the stairs.

“Oh I'm coming with you, I wanna see this,” Katie, no Pidge, laughed, following Keith as he walked down the stairs. Lance opted against going with them and instead sat in the kitchen with Hunk and caught up.

Matt sat on the bottom of the stairs tying his shoes as Keith walked down. Lance could hear him stop half way and resisted the urge to go around the corner and see what was happening. It was quiet for a moment before Matt loudly screamed.

“Fight me mullet!” The declaration was followed by the sound of someone falling down the stairs.

There was a loud thump and the sound of Pidge screaming. “Keith Kogane has been found dead in Miami!”

Hunk piped up as well, shouting around the corner. “Oh my god, is he okay?”

“No, he's fucking dead!” Matt shouted and Lance rushed around the corner to see what was happening, followed closely by Hunk. Much to his surprise, when he rounded the corner he saw Matt and Keith wrestling each other at the bottom of the stairs as Pidge provided minimal encouragement. Matt was pushing Keith’s upper body into the ground as Keith's legs were pushing him off, one wrapped around his neck and the other pushing at his shoulder. He pulled at Matt’s arms, attempting to loosen his grip but he wouldn't budge.

“Give up Texas!” Matt taunted, pushing on Keith harder.

“In your dreams Holt!” Keith managed to flip the position and was pinning Matt under him, smiling in victory.

“What is all the commotion in here?” Everyone froze at the sound of Lance’s mom coming into the room and Lance and Hunk ran down the stairs.

“Oooooo, you're fucked,” Pidge laughed, watching with wide eyes as Matt pushed himself up on his arms, Keith still sitting on his lap.

“What on earth are you boys doing?” Lance’s mom, Keith still didn't know her name, asked.

“We were, um,” Keith stuttered over his words, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

“This little shit has to fight me!” Matt shouted, flipping them again and pinning Keith’s arms above him so he couldn't move them.

“They're not gonna stop until someone wins,” Pidge explained.

Lance sighed. “Hunk, pick a winner.”

“Me? Why me?” Hunk asked, looking scared to have to do something. “I don't even know either of them!”

“From what you saw, who was the better fighter?” Pidge asked, leaning against the wall.

“Um, probably Matt?”

Matt jumped up in victory, whooping and grinning as he earned a high five from Pidge. Lance looked down at Keith who was staring up at him with a small smile on his face.

“What are you looking at?” Lance asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

Keith smiled. “Nothing, you're just pretty.”

Lance helped him up and Matt clapped him on the back. “Good try buddy, better luck next time.”

“Matt you're a fucking noodle how on earth did you pin Keith that well?” Pidge asked.

“It's probably because I've hardly eaten in the past week,” Keith suggested, gesturing to himself as his stomach growled and added emphasis to his argument.

“Babe what the hell, why haven't you eaten?” Lance asked, placing a hand on his shoulder in concern. “I ordered for you at the airport and you hardly touched your food. I thought it was because you weren't hungry?”

“What did you get him?” Matt asked, positioning himself on the arm of a couch.

“A burger.”

Pidge snorted and Matt laughed lightly, looking down and shaking his head.

“What?” Lande asked, still very confused.

“Keith is a vegetarian,” Pidge explained, patting Lance on the shoulder.

Lance made a sound of understanding, sending an apologetic look in Keith’s direction. Keith just smiled and shook his head, turning back to Matt as he asked a question.

“Have you gone around town on your bike yet?” Matt of course was referring to Keith's motorcycle.

Keith shook his head. “We flew out, I couldn't bring it.”

“Take mine,” Matt suggested, fish his keys out of his pocket and holding the, out for Keith.

He just looked between the keys and Matt, a dumbfounded expression on his face. “I thought you hated it when other people drove your bike?”

“I can tell you need to get out of here for a while,” Matt smiled, throwing his keys at Keith who caught them with ease. “Get me something to eat while you're out, will you?”

Keith didn't have to think twice before he was out the front door and racing for Matt’s motorcycle, smiling as he ran his hand over the handles. It had been a long time since he'd ridden his bike and he was glad it was still the same old one he'd had when Keith was younger. He'd taught Keith how to drive and was one of the best teachers Keith could have wished for.

Rides calmed Keith. It was something about the atmosphere, the way the air swirled around him and he couldn't hear much. It was quiet, at least for him it was. He hated being cooped up. Houses and buildings weren't his thing. He preferred to be out, doing something , anything besides being in one place. He couldn't sit still, always had something on his mind. Keith never settled, he was never content, never good enough. He could always be better, always have better, what he had was never good enough for him. And being there, standing in Lance’s house talking with Pidge and Matt, he felt like he was at a standstill. He couldn't do it, he couldn't just be with Lance’s family. It wasn't possible. He needed air, he needed to get out.

He deemed Matt could sense that, that's why he gave Keith his bike. Because speeding down the road in full control was something Keith craved, it was something he needed. Keith needed to feel like he was in control at all times. He couldn't slip past that. Feeling like he wasn't in control, like he wasn't deciding where he ended up, it scared the shit out of him. It's just how he grew up. Keith was tossed from home to home with nothing consistent to rely on. It was like he was a toy being thrown from one child to another at daycare. One day he'd have one child. Maybe they'd keep him for a few days, sometimes a month. But he was always tossed aside eventually, given to somebody else to play with. He didn't have a home or a family or a place to call his. He had nothing to his name and he hated it. Keith wanted to be in control, he wanted to feel like what he was doing was good enough.

He pulled into a McDonald's, buying the cheapest burger he could for Matt. He didn't have a lot of money to spend and he certainly wasn't gonna spend it all on Matt. He ordered himself a small thing of fries, sitting outside on his, actually no, Matt's, bike while he picked at them. He wasn't hungry but he felt he had to eat something, especially after the conversation they'd had earlier. He didn't want to eat actually, he was just fine. Sure, maybe his stomach was making noise but st was okay. He'd survive. He could eat dinner later.

Keith didn't want to leave the parking lot but was forced to upon a text from Lance.

**One new text from Sharpshooter**

**Sharpshooter** : Moms on her way home so you should probably get here before she calls me a liar

Keith sighed, stuffing his phone back in his pocket and throwing away his thing of fries before driving back to the house. He was so not looking forward to this.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drop me a comment with your opinion of the chapter! Also I need some dog breeds so if you could give me some of those that'd be great! Thanks!


	4. Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Lance's mom is nice, Matt likes McDonald's, and Keith is good at brading hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always be sure to let me know if you catch any spelling/grammar errors or things thst don't make sense so I can fix them. Thanks.

The moment Keith walked through the door he regretted it. It was loud. There were so many more voices than Keith was used to, although it was only actually ten. Still, Keith didn't want to be in the same room as ten other people. He clenched his fists hard enough that his nails dug into his palms and they bled. He hoped it would calm him. It didn't. Even so he pushed through, walking into the room and throwing the McDonald's bag directly at Matt's head followed shortly by his keys. 

“Thanks for the bike nerd,” Keith smiled, plopping down on the couch next to Lance. He tried to look subtle and calm and it seemed to work as Lance calmly put his arm around him. 

“Thanks mullet,” Matt smiled, pulling out the burger. “I didn't actually think you'd get me something.” 

“What do you take me for, a monster?” 

“Lance, who's this?” Someone asked and Keith's small moment of happiness slipped. He tried to keep the small smile on his face as Lance introduced him, shaking hands with so many people it physically pained him. 

“So, Keith, how'd you meet my brother?” One of Lance’s sisters, Amanda, asked, leaning forward and looking at him with a smile. 

Keith took a breath, answering as quickly as possible. “Art class. We were assigned as partners. I needed a model and the teacher put me with Lance. That's about it.” 

She smiled. “Tell us about yourself.” 

“What do you wanna know?” He was balling up his fists a little, trying not to draw too much attention to himself. 

“Tell us a boring fact that Lance doesn't know about you,” one of his other sisters, he had yet to learn the name of this one, suggested. 

Keith thought for a moment before answering. “I'm fluent in six languages.” 

Lance's jaw dropped as he gawked at him. 

“And let me guess,” Lisa stepped in. “One of those languages is French?” 

Keith shook his head and he laughed lightly. “Nope, I'm not fluent in French. Although when you live in Canada you kinda have to know the basics.” 

“You're Canadian?” 

Keith smiled. “Yeah. Born and raised. I moved to America with my brother and his fiancé two years ago.” 

“You have a brother?” 

He nodded. “Yeah, his name is Shiro. Well, that's not actually his name, but it's the only name he goes by. He's getting married this summer.” 

“So you're gonna be leaving for the wedding?” Keith had stopped registering faces at this point. He was in a state of panic but tried his absolute hardest not to show it. 

“Yeah. We're living mid August, right Lance?” 

Lance nodded and smiled. “Yup, although I still don't understand why I have to go. I've never met the guy. I don't even know what he looks like.” 

Keith sighed, pulling his phone out of his pocket and showing Lance Shiro’s contact. The photo was simple, Keith had taken it the year before at Christmas. It was a photo of him laughing, arms tightly laughed around Keith as he took the selfie. It brought back good memories so he kept it. Lance leaned over, inspecting the photo. 

“Damnit your brother is hot.” 

“Lemme see,” Amanda insisted, leaning over the back of the couch and looking at Keith's phone. “Fuck he is hot what the hell.” 

“Language,” all eyes turned to the doorway and Lance shot out of his seat, rushing towards the woman with open arms. 

“Mama!” He cheered, pulling the woman into a tight hug. 

Keith fiddled with his hands in his lap. He felt bad for being there. He wouldn't be a part of this, he should be somewhere else. This was a family moment and Keith was far, far away from being family. Except none of them knew that. They thought he was Lance’s boyfriend. The prospect was suddenly dawning on him. He was Lance’s fake boyfriend. Every member of his family thought they were dating. They thought they were close, that they had been together for almost a year. Keith wanted to get up and leave right there but he restrained himself, instead opting for scratching his arms. They bled a bit and he pulled down his sleeves, embarrassed to show his morbid coping mechanism. 

“Keith! Come say hi!” Lance insisted, grabbing Keith's hand and dragging him towards his mother. 

She held out her hand for him to shake and he carefully accepted. “I'd say that Lance has told us all about you but he really hasn't. The boy refused to say anything about you before you came. Wouldn't even tell us your gender let alone your name.” 

Keith smiled and the group settled back down. Keith fiddled around on his phone while the others talked and caught up. He didn't want to intrude on the family time. He just answered some questions he was asked, ignoring everyone else to the best of his ability without being rude. He jumped when his phone went off, earning the attention of a couple of the people sitting next to him. They all seemed to engrossed in their own conversations to care so he answered his phone. 

“Hello?” Lance turned into his conversation, still only hearing bits off it. 

“Hey babe,” Keith smiled and Lance’s mom shot him a questioning look at the greeting but Lance just shrugged, signaling that he didn't know who it was. 

“Shhh, hey, it's okay, what happened? Hey, hey it's okay, I'm here it's okay,” Keith tried to calm someone over the line, slowly standing up and leaving the room, mouthing a quick apology over his shoulder. “Hey, shh, it's okay, calm down I'm not gonna leave.” 

The room went silent after he left, a couple of them straining to hear Keith's conversation. “What was that about?” 

Lance shrugged. “No idea. I don't even know who it was.” 

The family fell back into conversation easily, nobody noticing when Keith punched a wall outside. Only Lance, who after half an hour of him being gone, went to see where Keith had gone. He found him in the hallway, face hurried in his knees taking deep breaths. There was a small dent in the wall and Lance immediately knew what he had done. He crouched down next to him and carefully put his hand on his shoulder. Keith raised his head, looking straight into his eyes before pulling him harshly into a hug. He was spitting out apologies, clutching to the fabric of Lance’s shirt. He expected Lance to shove him away but he didn't, instead he pulled him closer, slowly running his fingers through his hair. 

“You don't need to be sorry,” Lance mumbled. “This wall has seen more punches than most of the people here.” 

Keith pulled him closer, practically knocking the boy over. Lance didn't protest though, he just held him. Keith appreciated it but he knew he had to let Lance go. He had to go back in before anyone got suspicious. 

“I'll let you go back in. You don't want your family to ask questions, do you?” Keith asked, pulling back and leaning against the wall. 

Lance shook his head. “Nope. I'm not leaving you here,” he sat down next to Keith, leaning his head against his shoulder. 

Keith looked at him, confusion clear in his eyes. “Why?” 

“You my fake boyfriend,” Lance shrugged. “What would my family think if I left you out here?” 

Keith made a sound of understanding, turning away from Lance and not daring to show that for a second he thought Lance was staying with him because he cared. No, Keith knew that wasn't it, Lance was staying because he had to, not because he wanted to. But Keith didn't want Lance to stay. He wanted him to go back inside and to talk with his family. So he stood up and extended a hand for Lance who blinked up at him, confusion written across his face. 

“What?” He asked, staring at him. 

Keith sighed. “Let's go back inside. I don't want your family to get suspicious,” he explained, still standing there with an outstretched hand. 

“Who was on the phone?” Lance asked, completely ignoring his request. 

“Allura. She was having a panic attack. It took me a while to calm her down and I couldn't leave her. I'm sorry I took so long.”

Lance nodded, grabbing Keith's hand and pulling himself up. “You sure everything's okay?” He asked, holding onto Keith's hand for a little longer than necessary. 

Keith nodded. “Yeah, I'm sure.” 

Lance sighed, holding onto the boy's hand as they walked back into the room. He rubbed circles on the back of Keith's hand as they walked in, kept his hand in his knee as they sat, wrapped his arm around him when Keith started to yawn. He was trying to be helpful and make Keith feel better, he knew that, but it didn't feel like it. It made him feel like a child, unable to do anything for himself. He wasn't in control of the situation. He hated it. He wanted to get out, to run as far away as possible. But he couldn't. He had to accept it. And that was what was killing him. 

“Hey mama, the kids are here,” one of Lance's brothers, Keith was pretty sure his name was Dan, shouted from the doorway. 

Keith turned to Lance, looking him dead in the eye. “Kids?” 

Lance nodded, a little sceptical about how Keith was feeling. “Yeah, kids. They're Dan’s two daughters, Andy’s son, and Maggie's son and daughter. The oldest is about nine.” 

Keith lit up, a large grin finding itself present on his face. Keith loved kids as well as being great with them. He had grown up in so many different houses that he had to be good with kids. He didn't know where he'd end up so he tried his absolute hardest to be good enough and needed everywhere. Being good with kids just came with that. Although after a while it had become less of him wanting to be useful and more or him learning to love children. They always had stories to tell you and would listen intently when you told them things if you interested them enough. Keith loved to be around them. He loved to hear their stories and tell them stories and watch them draw pictures and play games with them and give them constant hugs and give them advice and attention and overall just loved to be around them. 

Keith smiled as the kids ran into the room, all instantly curious as to who he was. One small girl in particular took quite an interest in Keith. She beckoned him over with a wave of her hand, motioning for him to bend over when he got close to her. She reached up and played with Keith's hair a little bit, her smile widening when she managed to pull his ponytail out. She played with it more, laughing and nodding as Keith asked her if she liked it. 

“Can I braid your hair?” One of the boys asked, pulling on Keith's sleeve to get his attention. 

Lance reached out an arm to stop him. “I don't think Keith would like that very much, he's not really a hair braid type of guy.” 

Keith shot him a look. “Go away Lance. I'd love to have my hair braided. And as a matter of fact, I pride myself in being amazing at braiding hair.” 

“Can you braid my hair, please please please?!” One of the girls bounded, grabbing onto Keith's hand. 

Keith smiled and nodded. “Absolutely.” 

And that was how Keith ended up sitting on the floor with four kids, one braiding his hair and the others watching intently and giving feedback all the while begging Keith to braid their hair. Lance watched from the couch, caught up in conversation with his mom but hardly paying any attention. He watched as Keith laughed with the kids, letting them climb all over him and pull at his hair. His heart ached. He had never seen Keith smile like that. It could only leave him to wonder what type of people Keith had been around when he was younger and what his family would be like. He couldn't wait to meet them. 

Both boys went to bed with smiles on their faces that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Make sure you drop me a comment with your opinion on the chapter, they're always greatly appreciated. Also comment your favourite breed of dog. For science, of course. Not like there's gonna be any dogs in this book or anything. Nope. No dogs.


	5. Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Keith is sad, Lance is petty, and Shiro is a concerned dad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You probably know what this is gonna say by now but like tell me if you spot any spelling/grammar mistakes or things that make no sense.

Keith had been there for a week. It was only a week and he was already completely done with Lance and his family and the entire trip. He didn't talk much during that week. Lance told his family he was just shy. The same night he yelled at Keith the length of the city for being an ass. Keith hadn't spoken to him since. He'd completely ignored him, not paying any attention when he spoke to him. He responded to everyone else though. He had observed quite a bit while he was there. His small observations led him to learn quite a bit about Lance and his family.

For example, Lance’s sister Amanda. She'd taken quite a liking to Keith, not that he minded though. He actually really like her as well. She was curious, always asking questions, but not the typical ones. For instance, she was in the room when Keith had been on Skype with Shiro. When she noticed the mental arm she brought it up, asked if she could ask a question, and upon being given permission she asked him if it made it harder to wash his hands. She was inquisitive, always wondering the why and the how of a situation. She was loud and ambitious, though she had a quiet side she brought out around Keith. He liked her. She was his favourite.

Lance's mom Angela though, well she was a different story. She was like your typical tv show mom, worked two jobs, always had a clean house, had a smile that could melt your heart, and cared about her kids more than anything. When Lance had told her Keith was shy she immediately changed the way she approached him, not wanting to scare him off or make him uncomfortable. It was actually really helpful for Keith and he was extremely grateful. She adjusted to the needs of others, trying her hardest to make them comfortable in whatever situation. Keith assumed it was a protective type of skill, something only moms or older siblings would have. It was the same way Allura had taken to him. It made him feel safe.

Lance's siblings were a mix of different types of people. There were nine of them in total, all of which were just as loud and obnoxious as the rest. There was Amanda, Lisa, Maggie, Dan, Andy, Celeste, Val, Cory, and Esmeralda. Maggie was studying law in university, had two kids, and worked three jobs to provide for them. Dan, the second oldest, was married, had two daughters, worked at a hospital, and played in a band in his free time. Celeste was one of the youngest in the family. She was in twelfth grade, played soccer, and sang in her school's rock band. Val was the absolute youngest, she was in eighth grade, had a small obsession with space, and was a huge fan of musical theatre. Cory, Val's twin brother, was quite similar except he played baseball and didn't really like space as much. Esmeralda was on the swim team. She loved water to the point where she had been dubbed the nickname of Mer.

The little kids on the other hand, well, they were anything but quiet. They were small and had no filter, saying whatever they wanted to him at any time. They liked Keith and he was glad because he absolutely adored them. He spent quite a bit of time with them, telling them stories of adventures he'd been on and places he'd visited. They were always interested and Keith was proud of his ability to keep them engaged. He had learned that one of the boys, he had been eager to tell Keith his name was Jamie, was quite skilled in braiding hair. One of the girls, Carla, had asked Keith if he could be her boyfriend too. He had accepted and she had been over the moon for the rest of the day.

But see, after Lance pissed Keith off, they didn't talk. For three days Keith hadn't spoken a word to Lance despite his constant attempts. And Angela was quite frankly sick of it. So, she left Keith and Lance to babysit by themselves for the day. Pidge ended up coming over. She brought Matt's bike and chatted with Keith while he was busy. Truth be told, he had asked her to come. He didn't want to be alone in the same house as Lance. He felt like he was going insane. He couldn't be alone with him. He didn't want to talk to him, he didn't want to see him. Being alone with him was the worst possible thing that could happen and Keith was not having it. Although, after Pidge left, it was suddenly nine at night. Keith and Lance had put the kids to bed and were now sitting in the living room as far away from each other as physically possible. Keith turned to his groupchat as a form of comfort.

**Screm** : Fucking kill me

**Smallandgay** : Why

**Screm** : You left me alone with Lance you hoe

**Daddy** : Keith you should try talking to him

**Shrek** : Exactly

**Screm** : He's a fuckig dick and I hate him

**Princess** : You haven't spoken a word to him in three days Keith

**Princess** : Talk to him

**Smallandgay** : You're gonna be stuck with him for another month and a half if you two don't make up soon it's gonna fuck both of you over

**Screm** : I could always leave

**Daddy** : Keith that's just plain rude

**Shrek** : Look, Keith, Lance is a nice guy. Talk to him, he'll understand.

**Screm** : You don't get it Matt

**Shrek** : What aren't I getting

**Shrek** : Enlighten me

**Screm** : Jesus Christ never mind

**Screm** : Fuck you all

**Daddy** : Keith don't do anything stupid

**Daddy** : Keith?

**Daddy** : Keith I swear to god if I don't hear from you soon I'm calling the fucking police

Keith sighed, slipping his phone back into his pocket and staring at the ceiling. He didn't want this, he hated fighting and fighting with Lance was even worse than the regular kind. He liked Lance, he really did. More than he should. And he hated it, he hated Lance, he hated himself. He hated the mere prospect of liking Lance. He didn't want to fight with Lance, he wanted to talk to him and laugh with him and give him hugs because that's the way he liked Lance, not in this petty stupid way they were fighting, not in the way he felt a stabbing in his heart every time he forced himself to ignore Lance. That's not how he wanted it to be.

“Lance I,” Keith tried to form a sentence, words catching in his throat when Lance looked at him. “I'm sorry.”

Lance sighed. “Good. You really should be.”

Keith looked down, playing with the edge of his shirt. “Everything you said was right, I'm an ass, I'm a terrible person, I don't deserve the good treatment your family has been giving me. If you say the word I'll leave, I promise, you'll never have to see me again.”

Lance sighed, standing up and walking over to Keith. He kneeled down in front of him, placing his hands on his cheeks. “You, Keith Kogane, are not a terrible person. Yeah, I'll admit, you were a total ass to my family. But it's forgivable. You're forgivable. I get that you're scared and uncomfortable here and I'm gonna be here for you when you need me but Keith you've gotta talk to me. I can't help if I don't know what's going on.”

“I just,” Keith looked down, still fiddling with his hands. “I feel out of place.”

“Why?” Lance asked, stroking his thumb over Keith's cheek.

Keith laughed. It was a dry, forced sound that made Lance want to pull the boy into the biggest hug he could. “I've never really had this kind of thing before.”

“What kind of thing?” Lance didn't mean to pry, he really didn't, but he so badly wanted to help Keith that he had to figure out what was hurting him.

His answer made Lance’s heart split. “A family.”

Lance pulled Keith into a hug. He slipped off of the couch and onto Lance’s lap, arms pulled up defensively. Lance just pulled him closer, his arms finding the perfect spot around his waist as Keith curled closer to him, resting his head against his chest and playing with the fabric of his shirt.

“Let's not fight again, okay?” Keith asked, looking up at Lance with wide eyes.

Lance smiled, leaning down and kissing his nose. “We won't fight again, I promise.”

“How do I know you're not lying?” Keith seemed scared and Lance could feel his heart break even more.

“Because I promised you,” he defended quickly. Keith still didn't seem to be buying it.

“People have a bad habit of breaking their promises to me,” Keith mumbled, looking back down at his lap.

Lance sighed, grabbing Keith's chin and forcing him to look up at him. “Keith Kogane, I am not like those other people, I care about you more than words can describe. I will never break this promise, I swear on my life.”

Keith pulled Lance into a hug, chin resting on his shoulder. He took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of Lance's cologne. He leaned his head against his chest and smiled. It had been a lo day and Keith was quite frankly exhausted. He was glad they weren't fighting anymore. He didn't have to sleep on the floor anymore, he could share a bed with Lance again. He was almost content, even happy with what had happened, but the small nagging voice was still shouting at him for more. He wanted more. But he knew he was never going to get everything he wanted, everything he craved. He needed to get what he deserved first. And now, after the long days and petty fight, Keith deemed he deserved to curl up in bed with Lance more than anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. Drop me a comment my bois.


End file.
